Beware of fraudulent Broadband Connection voucher suppliers

swcomms is warning businesses to be wary of Broadband Connection Voucher suppliers who are using them in a fraudulent or non-compliant basis.

The Broadband Connection Voucher scheme offers up to £3,000 to help SMEs, sole traders, registered charities and social enterprises take advantage of improved Internet connectivity options of 20Mbps download speeds or more.

As an approved Broadband Connection Voucher supplier, swcomms receives regular bulletins from BDUK, the body behind the Government-funded scheme.

The latest editions have revealed growing concerns about misuse of the vouchers and have stated that where fraud, malpractice, supplier error or non compliance is suspected, suppliers will be removed from the approved list and voucher funds recovered.

Harry Langley, swcomms’ managing director, said: “The message is very clear. The vouchers do not cover any ongoing connectivity costs. They can only be used for installation charges, such as site surveys, dig costs, external infrastructure, internal cabling and Wi-Fi access points.

“Any business being offered £3,000 off their ongoing connectivity costs needs to be very wary of that supplier because they could lose the entire voucher value from the Government.”

More than 50 cities are now part of the SuperConnected Cities scheme, including Exeter, Plymouth, Portsmouth, Gloucester, Swindon, Bournemouth, Brighton, Southampton, Reading, Cardiff, Newport, Swansea and some areas of Bristol.

swcomms has held two webinars on the topic and has helped multiple businesses use their Broadband Connection Vouchers in a responsible manner.

For more information, please see: http://www.swcomms.co.uk/connection-vouchers/